Yellow Peril Gallery is pleased to present two solo exhibitions from Matt Wilt and Yian (Jack) Yu, in parallel with Lively Experiments, the 49th Annual Conference hosted by the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) from March 24 to April 19, 2015. The opening reception is Friday, March 27 from 6PM – 9PM.

Head of the Ceramics Department at Skidmore College Matt Wilt will present Theory + Practice, a new interactive and kinetic installation designed to engage the audience and involve them in a slower, more thoughtful analysis of the artwork and its ideas. Wilt’s recent work synthesizes the human, physical body with mechanics of the manmade world. Symbolic forms that he finds particularly compelling include the hand and objects used as surrogates for the body: bottle nipples, respirator bags, sex toys, prosthetics.

“The hand exemplifies the human presence, while the other objects, to varying degrees, distance us from the most human of activities,” Wilt explains. “These forms, as manufactured objects replicating natural functions, act as substitutes for nature. I find this composite of the physical body and the synthetic world simultaneously fascinating and frightening. Through this line of inquiry I am conscious of the connecting threads that link the many disparate elements of history, culture, and what it is to be human.”

Along with Wilt, ceramic artist, educator and Rhode Island School of Design MFA candidate Jian (Jack) Yu, whose sculptural compositions incorporate post-consumer, mass-produced ceramic objects immersed in viscous glaze, will present Million Dollar Man, an exploration of the American dream as powered by the cheap labor and strong work ethic of China’s manufacturing industry.

“As I have lived my American dream, I have discovered the stuff of the dream is largely made in China,” Yu notes. “China has a rich culture that has developed for thousands of years. However,” he adds, “the development of modern culture in China faces challenges brought on by this change. A combination of cheap labor and a can do attitude has transformed China from a mainly agricultural society to one that has become the world’s factory almost overnight. China’s economic boom has helped many Americans fulfill their American dream.”

Both solo exhibitions will be presented at Yellow Peril in parallel with Lively Experiments, the 49th Annual Conference hosted by NCECA in Providence, RI. Artists worldwide view NCECA as an important opportunity to expose their work to passionate and informed audiences. Extending throughout greater Providence and into Southern New England from March 25 – 28, Lively Experiments will be a unique opportunity to discover, experience, learn about and collect ceramics.

The opening reception for Theory + Practice and Million Dollar Man is Friday, March 27, from 6PM – 9PM. The gallery will host special NCECA hours on Wednesday, March 25, from 10AM – 5:30PM. The exhibition will be on display until Sunday, April 19, 2015. This is the first solo exhibition at Yellow Peril Gallery for both Wilt and Yu.

About Matt WiltBorn and raised in Pennsylvania, MATT WILT received his Bachelorʼs degree in Ceramics and Art Education in 1991 from Penn State University. After completing undergraduate school, Wilt worked for two years at Boston Valley Terra Cotta, an architectural terra cotta restoration firm in Buffalo, New York, where he began to work more extensively with plaster molds and imitative glaze surfaces. He also traveled extensively in Nepal and Thailand prior to pursuing graduate study. Matt completed his Master of Fine Arts degree at Ohio University, Athens in 1995. He was then awarded The Evelyn Shapiro Foundation Fellowship through The Clay Studio in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The city provided a tremendous availability of disposed of items for use in his slip cast and machined looking forms. While working as a Resident Artist at The Clay Studio, Wilt continued to show nationally and internationally and taught at several universities and art schools, including the University of Pennsylvania, Moore College of Art & Design and Arcadia University. Matt has been the recipient of numerous awards. He has received a Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Grant, an Illinois Arts Council Fellowship, and several awards in national juried exhibitions. He has been active as a Visiting Artist at schools such as Syracuse University, Tyler School of Art, Wichita State University and Indiana University. Matt headed the Ceramics Area at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville between 2002 and 2012. He joined the faculty of Skidmore College in August 2012, where he is currently heading the Ceramics program. Matt’s work continues to integrate cast ceramic forms with wheel thrown and hand built elements. The objects and their related drawings often refer to the ceramic tradition of functional devices, but are increasingly becoming more visually ambiguous, while incorporating a variety of non-clay materials. For more info about Wilt, visit mattwilt.com.

About Jian YuJIAN (JACK) YU is a ceramic artist and educator. He was born in Shanghai, China. Currently pursuing his MFA degree at Rhode Island School of Design, Jack obtained a BFA from University of NYSCC, Alfred, NY. His studio practices vary in a range of ceramic related processes from thrown functional wares to large-scale wet slip clay installations. Jack’s current body of work incorporates post-consumer, mass-produced ceramic objects immersed in viscous glaze, creating sculptural compositions. The fused and encrusted assemblages resemble objects found at an archaeological research site. The intersection of hand-made and machine-made is investigated through the use. For more info about Yu, visit clayjackyu.com.

About Yellow Peril Gallery

Founded in 2011, YELLOW PERIL GALLERY is a contemporary art gallery located at The Plant, a historic mill complex in the Olneyville neighborhood of Providence, Rhode Island. The Gallery fosters modern art critiques on popular culture and society from emerging, mid-career and established artists in the United States and abroad. Our inventory comprises of works of art from critically acclaimed artists who have been featured in biennials and museum exhibitions, participated in top tier art fairs and acquired by private collectors worldwide. Artists that we represent share our commitment to social responsibility, and 10% from the sale of all artwork is donated to a charitable organization of the Artists’ choice. For more info about future exhibitions, visit www.yellowperilgallery.com.

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If you’d like more information about this press release, or to schedule an interview with MATT WILT and/or JIAN (JACK) YU, please contact Vanphouthon Souvannasane via e-mail at van@yellowperilgallery.com.